Body shaming has become too prevalent in our society, and if you ask me, social media is to blame. Everyone has an opinion about the way others look, and they have an open platform to express you. You or I may not experience body shaming on a daily basis, and that's likely because everyone we keep on our social sites are friends and family.
But for celebrities and those in the public eye, their social media pages are loaded with fans, and unfortunately also with people who want them to fail. Jenna Johnson, one of the more popular pros on Dancing With The Stars, learned this the hard way when she began receiving hateful comments about the way she looks.
Johnson posted an screenshot on her Instagram story including just a few of the hateful comments sent in by those following her.
"Ugh, you (sic) anorexia makes you look 50!" one commenter wrote. "Look at your neck! Gross! Way too thin! Gain some weight girl!"
"Wow you have gotten skinny."
"You used to be pretty buy somehow you don't look that pretty anymore."
They aren't the only comments she's received either. Haters appear on almost every single picture the professional dancer posts.
"Ugh too skinny ..her and Lindsey have QTips for legs lol," another person wrote.
"Eat something girl," someone else posted. "You're gonna pass out mid routine one day with no fat on you."
"Damn Jenna---Your Are Very Pretty But Again, You Are WAY Too Thin!!(Look At Your Neck In Particular As An Example!)---Hopefully You have Not Become Anorexic !!---it Really Is NOT Healthy!!----REALLY!!"
Finally, enough was enough. Johnson posted a response to those who continually try to put her down.
"I am not anorexic but if I was, this would NOT be the way to address it," she wrote. "It is a very serious matter that many people go through. Please be more sensitive about your comments. For someone who has dealt with body image my whole life, it's a constant battle. Do not throw words like fat or anorexic around so casually. Be better. You never know what someone might be going through."
Johnson, who is engaged to fellow cast member Val Chmerkovskiy has been open about her struggles with weight in the past, including binge-eating episodes and not eating enough to balance out her workout routine.
"I was scared of food and had a terrible relationship with it," she told Women's Health Magazine. "I would cut something out and then binge on it."
"I ended up gaining a bunch of weight on a vegetarian diet," she continued. "I was so low in my iron and protein intake. Once I incorporated protein back into my diet, I started slimming down. ... I was scared of food and had a terrible relationship with it. I would cut something out and then binge on it."
But there was something that helped the professional dancer develop a better relationship with food.
"Looking at food as fuel has been a game changer for me," Johnson said. "For me, what makes me healthiest and happiest and most powerful is a happy balance of non-processed food and a lot of protein. I need it for recovery and for my muscle."
Good for Johnson for standing up for herself, and also for pointing out that joking about things as serious as weight disorders can be a really dangerous thing.
[HT/: Pop Culture, Women's Health Magazine]
